New Year = New spirit! A good step forward on the hybrid subframe!

Today was a mild day, so I worked a little on the subframe!
First step: Clean the welds and apply some primer to avoid surface rust:

Then I wanted to test fit the IRS arms, but I had to insert new poly-bushings first!
So I painted the area of the arms where the bushing go:

Always apply plenty of grease!

The next part was the gearbox rear cradle (which I bought already 3 years ago in Bitburg!)

Of course I wanted to test fit the gearbox now, but as it is a 1303 unit, the nose cone had to be changed - and the hockey stick as well . Remember, Type 3 models have a different location for the shift rod coupler!
This is the donor gearbox, an "AT" ratio, 1303 box!

As I need the 2-bolt pattern, the nose cone had to be changed:

(on the left, the Type 3 hockey stick and the new rubber mounts for the cradle)

Here is a comparison between 3-bolt and 2-bolt pattern:

The oil had to be drained - a stinky mess of +40 years old rotten slime!

I checked the drain plug for signs of wear, but there was only a little debris on the magnet - a good sign!

All that goo came off easily + the thread was cleaned, as it was heavily corroded on the outer end (see above) :

Here are the hockey sticks: Note the different hole locations:

The new nose cone will get a new brass bushing and a new oil seal:

Afterwards I could mock-up everything:

Now it was time to check the most important issue: Will there be enough room for the CV joint?

 YES!!! Success!!!

So, I was in the mood to check the Cup bar:

All in all a real efficient afternoon!